Shadow Dragon
The Shadow Dragon was formerly the Air Dragon, which had been corrupted at the Battle of Oblivion's Gate. Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 24 Birth At the Battle of Oblivion's Gate in 1133, the Dragon of Air allowed itself to become corrupted so that Master of Fire Isawa Hochiu could reach the Master of Darkness, Goju Adorai. Yet as the dragon entered to the Volturnum inner city, the Dragon's eternal light began to fade, drifting into nothingness as the Taint took its toll. When it passed the archway of a coliseum where teh Oblivion's Gate was within, a dragon, no longer of air, but of ash and shadow appeared, only the emerald eyes were unchanged. When Hitomi named the Lying Darkness and destroyed it, Voices: The Final Days of Oblivion's Gate, by Ree Soesbee the Dragon or Air was dying, severed from the Heavens by its direct intervention in human troubles, and badly injured by its passage through Volturnum. It saw a small crap of Nothing scaping, which in time would lead in the return of the Lying Darknes entity. The Dragon swallowed it and became the heir to the Lying Darkness, the Shadow Dragon, wielding the power of the Taint and Nothing. So long as it could survive the Lying Darkness could never truly return. Hidden Emperor, p. 84 Manipulator The Shadow Dragon could not lie, but it was a skillfull manipulator. It convinced Daidoji Rekai to join the Shadowlands, and it deceived Iuchiban. Although it seemed to aid Daigotsu, no one knew its true agenda. It had its home at the City of the Lost. Goju Family The Shadow Dragon filled the role once held by the Lying Darkness, and commanded the Goju.Shadow Dragon (Broken Blades flavor) It would also make use of the Ninube, Legions, Part XI and the followers of the dead Onnotangu, as the Cult of the Blood-Red Moon. First Enlightenment, by Shawn Carman Garen The Dragon did not fight in the Fall of Otosan Uchi, but it rescued Garen when the gaijin undead had been defeated by the navy of Ikoma Otemi. The Shadow Dragon purified him of the Taint his body was at it was before he became an undead, being a living human again, and gained the power of the Goju. Garen agreed to become the Shadow Dragon's servant in exchange for his Shadow powers and a rescued Revenant and giving him a Goju crew. The Shadow Dragon assigned Garen to become an ambassador to Rokugan, undermining any possible future relations with the gaijin. Lost at Sea, by Rich Wulf Rebirth of Kyoden Daigotsu ensured that Goju Kyoden was returned to life by bargaining with the Shadow Dragon. Forever True (Imperial Herald v2 #8), by Rich Wulf After Kyoden was death his essence returned to become a part of Nothing, as was the way of all Goju. Daigotsu came to the Shadow Dragon and gave a piece of his soul in return for Kyoden's life. Corruption's Price, by Rich Wulf Ancestral Sword of the Hantei When Fu Leng invaded the heavens, the Shadow Dragon followed, and for reasons known only to itself, the dragon took Akkuai-uo, the Ancestral Sword of the Hantei, and brought it back to the Shadowlands. It gave the blade to Omoni, as a gift to Daigotsu. In return Omoni swore forever serve the one who wielded it. The Dark Lord was gifted by Fu Leng with his blessings and the blade would only be drew and wielded by members of the Hantei line. Rebirth of Daigotsu In 1160 when Daigotsu had been killed by Toturi Tsudao, Kyoden came to the House of Goju and sacrificed himself commiting seppuku in payment to the Shadow Dragon and Daigotsu was brought back to life. Way of the Samurai, p. 86 Killing Ryosei This year the Shadow Dragon or one of its servants came to Kitsune Mori and killed Kitsune Ryosei. When her kinsmen found her the next day, it appeared as though she had died from nothing more sinister than age. Legions, Part VII Daidoji Rekai In 1164 the Shadow Dragon convinced Daidoji Daimyo Daidoji Rekai that her son would fall to the Rain of Blood if he did not have strength of a purpose. The Dragon proposed that the thirst to have her killed if she was corrupted would see him through the rain. Rekai, feeling her age and was dying from an illness, accepted the corruption. Shadows, by Shawn Carman Shinsei's descendant is exposed Around 1165 the Shadow Dragon was told by its servant Bunrakuken that the descendant of Shinsei had been exposed. Rosoku had passed to the Toturi III the Challenges of Enlightenment, and he had came out of hiding. Realm of Thwarted Destiny The Shadow Dragon was the secret ally of Yajinden and followed his orders regarding the Realm of Thwarted Destiny events. Four Winds, p. 115 Lords of the Dead In 1166 the artisan sent the Dragon to meet the Shi-Tien Yen-Wang in Meido. The Dragon revealed the existence of the new realm, the Realm of Thwarted Destiny, to tempt them with the desire to rule it. It was swiftly dismished by the Lords of the Death, casting aside a powerful ally and made a powerful enemy. Legions, Part III, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf Lost in the Mists of the new Realm Two legions were rallied, the soul of dead heroes were gathered in the Legion of the Dead, and souls of the most reviled assembled the Legion of Blood. As the two forces initially battled for control over the newly forming realm in 1166, Isawa Tsuke released a massive explosion intending to stop the First Oni, but it also disrupted the realm and knocked everyone in it into private memories of critical choices in their lives. The realm was testing each of them, to see if they would embrace their destines or reject them. The realm could become a place where those who failed their destinies could repeat their failures for eternity or a place where those who failed could embrace their fates and find redemption. Legions, Part III, by Shawn Carman and Rich Wulf The Shadow Dragon sought the First Oni in the mists of the realm and unleashed it again toward the remnants of the Legion of the Dead. Legions, Part VI Warned by Fu Leng Yakamo no Oni sensed the dragon in the mists of the new Realm and confronted him. The oni commanded him to stop. Fu Leng demanded to give to the Shadow Dragon fair warning, one final chance to prove himself the ally the dragon claim to be, or be doomed. The Shadow Dragon refused and vanished into the mists. Tormenting Hitomi The Shadow Dragon had been created due to a chain of events that were initiated by the decision of Hitomi to take the Obsidian Hand, who allowed the Lying Darkness to rise, and the Dragon of Air to be corrupted as the only way to defeat the Shadows. The Shadow Dragon regreted the abomination it was, and blamed Hitomi. Lady Moon was again in front of Bayushi Kachiko, who was given her the Obsidian Hand. The images disappeared and only the Dragon and the Hand remained. The Shadow Dragon gave her memory back, expecting Hitomi could be tormented to choose an option, when it was not correct choice. Hitomi decided to take again the Hand and drew her blades, ready to face the dragon. The minion of the nothing quickly retreated into the darkness. Tempting Mirumoto Satsu The Shadow Dragon saw what would happen to his sister Hitomi if Mirumoto Satsu would repeat again the choice he made on life, to be defeated by Hida Yakamo in a duel, leaving the Crab alive to become one of the Seven Thunders, avoiding one thousand years of Darkness. The Shadow Dragon gave Satsu hope that even without Yakamo Fu Leng could be defeated. Too much tempted, Satsu modified his choice, and he took up his swords and made his way to the courtyard to kill Hida Yakamo and save his sister's soul. Tempting Uji Daidoji Uji had to choose again to follow his ancestor and attack Shiro no Yojin, or to not betray his Lord Doji Kuwanan and held Kyuden Bayushi. The ghost of Daidoji Yurei, Uji's ancestor, appeared and lobbied to hold the Scorpion city. Uji saw the deception behind, and faced the truth. The Shadow Dragon had tried to confuse him, and was defied by Uji. The Dragon was outraged and decided to kill the Crane, but Uji fled. Tchickchuk Tchickchuk was a memory the the nezumi transcendents had retrieved and placed in the new realm. The nezumi saw the Shadow Dragon manipulating the realm, and sat to watch. The Dragon whispered to his ear, and Tchickchuk ran as far and as fast as he could on all four legs. Legions, Part VIII Kuni Utagu The Shadow Dragon impersonated Kuni Atsutane, Kuni Utagu's sensei, and tempted Utagu. The Kuni was not fouled, being able to see the truth between the mists, and the dragon fled. Legions, Part IX Oni Lords The Dragon now tempted Akuma no Oni and Yakamo no Oni. Both Oni Lords saw the dragon was not a servant of Fu Leng anymore, and prepared to fight it. The Shadow Dragon faded away. Doji Satsume Doji Satsume was met by Kitsune Ryosei, who offered her aid to contact his wife soul, Doji Teinko, which was wandering in Meido. In truth she was not Ryosei, but the Shadow Dragon instead. It was seeking to distract Emma-O from guarding his realm, where the Fortune of Death had imprisoned part of Daigotsu's soul. Shoju After Bayushi Shoju had a vision of the day he killed the Emperor, he sensed a great hunger, stronger as his own, from the Shadow Dragon. They pondered their past deeds and the Shadow Dragon left his presence. Daigotsu's soul Recovered While Daigotsu Hoturi was seeing the Legion of the Dead occupying Volturnum, and the First Oni locked in combat with Akuma and Yakamo, he was visited by the Shadow Dragon. The beast told Hoturi the connection he had to a particular soul was his true goal. While the Lords of the Dead had been diverted from guarding Meido when they aided the Legion of the Dead at Volturnum, and Emma-O embroiled with Doji Satsume, Hoturi sneaked in the Emma-O's fortress and rescued the imprisoned half of Daigotsu's soul. The Dragon would gift it to Daigotsu, fully restoring the Dark Lord's former power. Fall of Iuchiban When Kisada, the returned Fortune of Persistence, and Matsu Aoiko led the united armies of the Lion and Crab Clans against the Bloodspeaker, supported by Isawa Sezaru, the Shadow Dragon foresaw Iuchiban's demise. The bloodspeaker retaliated and the Dragon fled wounded, but laughing. Daigotsu came by sea to the city to fight the Heartless. Enemy of my Enemy, Part Three, by Rich Wulf Fighting Atsuki The Shadow Dragon saw as one of his minions, Alhundro Cornejo was taken out of its control. Alhundro was a Merenae mercenary who worked as a saboteur of the Mantis Clan, and was supposedly dead in the Battle of Oblivion's Gate. Alhundro did not die, but became a Goju. Atsuki used the maho experiences developed with the Shadowed Tower to broke the shadows' control over the gaijin, and in 1165 sent Alhundro to set the Fires of Toshi Ranbo, an attempt to kill the Emperor Toturi III and the Imperial Court. Fires of Toshi Ranbo, Part Four, by Rich Wulf The Dragon was worried with the intent of Atsuki to shackle the Nothing to his will. It began to work against the Gozoku leader, and subtly aided Esteban Cornejo, who had been imprisoned by the Ashalan, allied with Atsuki. Fires of Toshi Ranbo, Part Three, by Rich Wulf The Dragon used him to foul Atsuki, and the Scorpion was shortly after killed by Bayushi Sunetra, when he was trying to escape from the attack of the Imperial Legions. Shadow Dragon Exposed The existence of the Shadow Dragon and the events that led in its creation had been unknown to Rokugan. Kisada, the Fortune of Persistence, who returned to the mortal realm in 1166 gave this knowledge to the Empire. News of Rokugan, Circa Lotus Edition (Imperial Herald v2#17), by Rich Wulf See Also * Shadow Dragon/Meta External Links * Shadow Dragon (Broken Blades) * Shadow Dragon Exp (Enemy of my Enemy) Category:Dragons Category:Nothing Personalities Category:Spider Clan Members Category:Creatures of the Shadowlands